Grupo de Especialistas en Invertebrados de Asia Meridional de la CSE de la UICN

An academician (Professor, Department of Zoology, University of Dhaka, Bangladesh Department of Zoology, DU) and researcher with almost 17 years of research and work experience in conservation education, biodiversity and wetland ecology in Bangladesh. She graduated from University of Dhaka with an MS in Zoology in 2006. Gawsia obtained her PhD in Aquatic Ecology from the University of Cambridge in May, 2012 under a Commonwealth Academic Staff Scholarship. She received an advanced training in conservation education at Bronx Zoo (New York), USA under the WCS Conservation Education Fellowship in 2007. As a member of WildTeam (formerly Wildlife Trust of Bangladesh), she has been contributing for the threatened species conservation activities in Bangladesh with experience of resource management and conservation organizations. She is a member of the IUCN SSC Freshwater Groups and the co-chair of IUCN invertebrates' specialists group. She has been awarded the fellowship of (a) Cambridge Philosophical Society, University of Cambridge, UK (for PhD research) & (b) Wildlife Conservation Society’s (NY) Conservation Education Fellow (as a conservation educator at WildTeam for threatened species conservation). Gawsia has been nominated as the Bangladesh Coordinator for the Teens for Planet Earth Programme, coordinated by WCS, NY, USA. Gawsia has been affiliated with the national and international organizations like i. WildTeam, Trustee; ii. Aquatic Ecology Group, Dept. of Zoology, University of Cambridge, UK; iii. Asiatic Society of Bangladesh; iv. Dhaka University Alumni Association; v. Cambridge University Alumni Association; vi. Commonwealth Scholars’ Association; vii. International Zoo Educators’ Association; viii. Commission on Education and Communication – IUCN; and ix. Species Survival Commission – IUCN. She visited India, Nepal, Singapore, Hong Kong, Japan, South Africa, UK, Sri Lanka, Malaysia and USA to participate in seminars and symposia. She co-authored 2 books, about 40 scientific and 15 popular articles.

A career conservationist by profession, I lead a team of dedicated conservationists at Zoo Outreach Organisation with the objective of promoting species, ecosystem, and livelihood conservation through participatory, inclusive, and bottom-up approach working with all relevant aspects and stakeholders using science as an objective basis. I have been working in this field for over three decades and have contributed to conservation actions, policy, guidelines, tools, techniques in India, South Asia, and globally.